Archive for the ‘Dane county Board of Supervisors issue a Media Advisory: Override the Governor's Veto of a binding referendum?’ Category

County Board Supervisors released this Media Advisory this morning. Do you agree that the Legislature should override the RTA and Sales Tax Veto. Tell us what you think!

MEDIA ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: For more information:
Thursday, July 2, 2009 Ronn Ferrell 695-1321

DANE COUNTY SUPERVISORS CALL FOR VETO OVERRIDE ON RTA AND SALES TAX

Despite unanimous support from State Senator Jon Erpenbach (D-Waunakee), Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, and Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz for a binding referendum on the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) and on whether or not to increase the sales tax for commuter trains, Governor James Doyle vetoed the binding referendum language from the 2009-11 state budget document he signed on Monday of this week.

In vetoing the binding referendum language, Governor Doyle dismissed the shared desires of all the parties involved in the RTA/Sales Tax binding referenda which had significant support throughout the budget deliberations. Senator Erpenbach was quoted in the Wisconsin State Journal, “Without the referendum in this, I wouldn’t have supported the RTA language and it wouldn’t have been in the budget.” Erpenbach continued, “It is something everyone agreed to.”

The Governor’s vetoes both surprised and angered local elected officials. County Executive Falk indicated she was very disappointed…with the veto(s). Supervisor Ronn Ferrell (Madison) stated, “The Governor’s vetoes change the process that we all relied upon for a binding referendum because we all want to ensure that the voices of Dane County citizens will be heard through a public vote on this critically important issue.”

Supervisor Eileen Bruskewitz (Waunakee) expressed her frustration with the elimination of the binding referenda because the citizens of Dane County want to have their voices heard. “The failure of the State to require a binding referendum for a sales tax increase takes the people’s voice away,” she said. “The creation of an RTA and a sales tax should never have been part of the budget bill. The legislature needs to override the veto.”

Sun Prairie Supervisor Duane Gau said, “Regional transportation is important for Dane County and we need to hear from our voters about whether they want a sales tax increase to fund it.”

“We encourage the citizens of Dane County to contact their State Representatives and State Senators to ask them to override the Governor’s veto which eliminated the binding referendum on whether or not to increase the sales tax,” Supervisor Kurt Schlicht (Cross Plains) said. “Do it now, because, this is one of the only opportunities voters will have to voice their opinion on increasing the sales tax for a Regional Transit Authority in Dane County.”